Witness to end of chase in northwest Houston was too close for comfort

We have new developments in a chase we brought you as breaking news earlier this week. We're now hearing from the driver who watched the dramatic scene unfold right next to her car.

The driver in that chase has now been charged with the murder of his girlfriend. Onturia White, 35, was arrested after dozens of investigators chased him through northwest Houston on Tuesday.

Deputies finally managed to throw down a spike strip and surround White's SUV. Right next to the SUV was a little white car with Tisha DeLeon and her 10-year-old daughter, Emily.

"She's sitting here, so the first thing I do is start pushing her to the ground," said DeLeon.

DeLeon and her daughter were in the crossfire.

"She says, 'I will shoot you. Put your hands up and get out of the car,' and the suspect said, 'Shoot me. I'm not going to jail. You can shoot me,' and all you can think is, 'Please don't shoot him.'"

DeLeon says investigators told her to put the car in park. One of them then used the car as a tool, alternating between hiding behind it for cover and lying on top of it, always with his gun aimed.

"You have three guns on the other side," said DeLeon. "If one misses, one ricochets, they keep shooting, it's coming directly in here and we have nowhere to go. We have no option."

The Harris County Sheriff's Office says the pursuit was, "fluid and dynamic....and deputies did what they had to to arrest a dangerous and possibly armed murder suspect."

But policy allows deputies to give up chase if the situation gets too dangerous.

"The deputy's ability to supervise or control other motorists by the nature of existing circumstances is limited, and it is his/her duty to avoid contributing to the danger already created by the violator," reads the policy.

"If they had enough time to block the intersection, put up spikes and post up on the car, then you had enough time to tell me get out," said DeLeon.

DeLeon said she doesn't involve the investigators, saying they were just doing their job.

Murder Investigation

Accused of murdering his wife and leading investigators on a wild chase, White was given no bond.

The victim's mother, Patricia Elliott, said, "I was only thinking about the public because they were in danger. He's a maniac. He was a monster."

Prosecutors say White shot and killed his common-law wife, Priscilla Linsey, at their home on Monday. Court documents show Linsey had told friends the day before that she was scared of what White might do to her and her four children.

Prosecutor Alison Baimbridge said, "It seems like there were some children in the house prior to the murder that were removed by our complainant."

Linsey's father Russell Elliott found her lying in her bathroom. She was already dead, and nobody else was home.

"I can't explain the feeling," he said. "I don't know. It's a feeling you never get out of your head. It's something no parent should ever have to endure."

Investigators say they tracked down White the next day. But he apparently wasn't ready to surrender. He was caught on camera leading investigators on a dramatic chase through northwest Houston.

Linsey's family watched TV coverage, prepared for the worst.

"We know the car and it couldn't have been anybody else," Patricia said. "I mean, I was just praying that they would catch him."

White has a long criminal history and was out on parole when he was arrested. On Thursday he was charged with murder, but more charges are expected.

"She would protect her children at all costs. That's what she did," Patricia said. "She lost her life protecting her children."